GREELEY, Colo. (April 13, 2020) – Jocie Rocha left North Colorado Medical Center to cheers and applause Monday afternoon and putting a smile on the faces of many hospital caregivers. Jocie was the 100th patient to be discharged from the hospital after being treated for COVID-19.

The 71-year-old Brush woman is moving via ambulance to a rehabilitation hospital closer to her Brush home, according to her son, Jess Ponce. Ponce said his mother has been hospitalized since March 18 and spent 8-10 days on a ventilator.

Monday afternoon Rocha reached out for high-fives from the hospital staff who lined the hallway to wish her well. An ambulance crew from Lincoln County Memorial Hospital in Hugo wheeled Rocha through the halls and to the ambulance.

North Colorado Medical Center has been treating patients with COVID-19 since mid-March.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.bannerhealth.com.

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